The Cotton County Courthouse in Walters has been the center of county life since it opened on Nov. 4, 1926, and this fall it gets a proper birthday party. County commissioners have proclaimed Nov. 2-6 as Courthouse Centennial Week under the theme“Honoring the Past — Building the Future,”with educational programs, historical exhibits, public safety and county government activities, and community observances planned throughout the week. The courthouse has hosted a century of elections, court proceedings, public records, and the everyday business that keeps a county running.
There’s an extra layer of history baked in: Cotton County was split from Comanche County in 1912, making it the last county created in Oklahoma. That means the courthouse centennial is a milestone not just for Walters, but for the state’s county history as a whole. The proclamation puts it well, describing the building as more than a historic structure — it represents generations of elected officials, employees, law enforcement officers, and citizens whose service strengthened Cotton County.
In the same meeting, commissioners also extended a 6% cost of living adjustment to highway fund employees, a nod to the workforce that keeps county roads in shape. For anyone in the Lawton and Walters area with family roots in Cotton County, the first week of November is the moment to show up and take part. What’s your favorite memory connected to the Cotton County Courthouse?
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Local Lawton
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